Innocence Taken From Him
Tony Ford was just 18. On an evening in December of 1991, he picked up two brothers, Van and Victor Belton, and drove them to a nearby house. He waited in the truck while they went inside. The brothers broke in and got into a heated argument with an 18-year-old named Armando Murillo, his mother and two sisters were left unharmed. Tony knew they were there to settle a debt but had no idea the level of violence the Beltons intended. When they came back, he drove them home, thinking they’d just stolen some stuff as repayment. The next day, Tony was arrested without being told why. Earlier that day, Van had been caught after trying to hide in his loft, and his brother Victor and their dad were arrested trying to fight off the cops. When Tony found out about a capital murder charge, he was shocked; he had no idea anyone had been killed. He learned that Van shot Armando dead and threatened the women in the house. During his interrogation, Tony faced extreme verbal abuse and threats. Despite the pressure, he refused to have his innocence taken from him.
No Physical Evidence
Van Belton was in a tough spot, he could either pin the crime on Tony or rat out his brother, Victor. Of course, he chose to save his brother. Despite Van’s accusations, Tony clung tightly to what he knew to be true, he hadn’t done anything. Later, Armando’s sisters were shown lineups to identify the shooter. Initially, Victor wasn’t in the lineup, but Tony was. When the first sister fumbled her choice, detectives secretly and nefariously filled in the card to make it look like she’d identified Tony. When the second sister later identified Tony in a lineup, his face had already been all over the news. There was absolutely no physical evidence tying Tony to the crime. The only evidence was the testimony of a man trying to save his brother, the manipulated testimony of Armando’s sister and the media-influenced testimony of Armando’s other sister.
He Was Found Guilty
In contrast, the evidence against the Beltons was overwhelming. Matching bullets were found. Bloody clothes were found. Incriminating statements were made. Shockingly, Victor faced no charges beyond obstructing the police. Tony was denied access to funding to assemble a proper defense, specifically, misidentification experts. When Tony was convicted, a court reporter overheard police officers expressing their disbelief that he was found guilty. The same reporter later stated in the same affidavit that he saw prosecutors outside the courtroom before the trial pointing at Tony and asking the Belton sisters if he “looked like the man from that night.” After a long pause, the sisters could only respond with “Maybe.” Still, Tony was convicted and sentenced to death.
Travesty of Justice
In December of 2005, Tony’s execution was miraculously stayed by a state district judge named William Moody, pending new DNA testing. Since then, Tony’s legal team has fought to get more advanced and conclusive testing on Victor Belton’s improperly stored clothes. They’ve also fought to get judges to listen to eyewitness identification experts they’ve secured, who can explain how Tony was misidentified. This travesty of justice seems to be drawing close to another frightening moment, another execution date.
We cannot let Tony Ford be executed. He is innocent.
-The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood
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